FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



283 



yielded not far from 4 million pounds of flounders 

 smaller than 3 pounds (blackbacks) to New 

 England fishermen, 73 and about 49,000 pounds of 

 fish heavier than 3 pounds (lemon sole). Nan- 

 tucket Shoals, and the neighboring side of the 

 so-called South Channel yielded about 5 million 

 pounds of blackbacks and 1 million of soles; 

 Georges Bank u about 3 million pounds of the 

 larger soles and about 600,000 pounds of the smaller 

 blackbacks. 



In addition to all this, Canadian fishermen 

 caught some 4,400 pounds of flounders at the 

 mouth of the Bay of Fundy on the New Bruns- 

 wick side, 16,200 pounds of "flounders and soles" 

 on the Nova Scotian side of the Bay, and 82,000 

 pounds off the west coast of Nova Scotia. 



Our Gulf as a whole thus yielded something like 

 14 million pounds of winter flounders, large and 

 small, in the year in question, which seems to have 

 been a representative one. 



Most of the commercial catch is made today by 

 the otter trawlers, a small part on hook and line, 

 or in nets of one sort or another. Years ago 

 numbers were speared on the flats; as lately as 

 1919, about 7,000 pounds were reported as taken 



» The amount cannot be stated any more precisely because of uncertainty 

 as to bow much of the 2H million pounds of black backs reported that year 

 from Cape Cod was caught off the Gulf of Maine coasts of the Cape, and how 

 much off the south shore of Massachusetts. 



" Including the statistical area classed as Eastern Side South Channel. 



in this way on Cape Cod. But flounder spearing 

 has gone out of fashion so completely of late that 

 no flounders, only eels, are fisted under the 

 heading "spears" in the Massachusetts landings 

 by gear for 1945 or for 1946." 



Flounder fishing, too, for amusement and for 

 home use goes on in harbors, estuaries, and other 

 sheltered situations all around the shores of the 

 Gulf, from bridges, piers, and small boats. And 

 the number taken in this way must be very large 

 in the aggregate for flounders are easy to catch 

 (as well as very toothsome) provided the hook is 

 not too large (Nos. 4 to 8 are best) and the bait is 

 on bottom. Pieces of clam, of large snails, of sea 

 worms (Nereis) or of squid, shrimp, and mussels, 

 all are good. And they will take angle worms. 



Smooth flounder Liopsetta putnami (Gill) 1864 



Smoothback flounder; Eelback; Foolfish; 

 Christmas flounder; Plaice 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2650. 



Description. — This flatfish is right-handed (eyes 

 on the right side) and small-mouthed like the 

 winter flounder, yellow tail, and the witch. It 

 resembles the winter flounder (with which it is 

 often caught) closely in its general outline and in 



" "Spears" are not included for 1947; only "harpoons," for larger game 



Figure 145. — Smooth flounder (Liopsetta pulnami) , Salem, Mass. From Goode. Drawing by H. L. Todd. 



